AI prompt engineering: Essentials for learning designers

A practical mini course introducing prompt engineering techniques for education and L&D professionals.

Ideal for people who have dabbled with tools like ChatGPT or Claude and want to develop transferable, design-led approaches they can apply across AI tools.

Course overview

Generative AI tools can support learning design, but only add value when they are used with intention, professional judgement, and an understanding of how to structure prompts.

This short, practice-focused course introduces learning designers to prompt engineering as a design skill. Rather than offering generic prompt tips, we will show you how prompting can be integrated into established learning design workflows to improve quality, relevance, and transfer.

You will be introduced to the RTCCO framework, a structured way to design prompts that produce more useful, rigorous, and context-sensitive outputs. Through worked examples and practical activities, you will explore how small changes to prompts can significantly improve clarity, challenge, and alignment with learning goals.
Rewards:
Completion of this course generates
£19 credit towards the Learning Design Foundation Certificate (LDFC).

What to expect

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Content

Short video explainers introduce the core concepts and supporting texts guide deeper reflective inquiry.

Activities

Interactive tasks and quiz questions help you practise and check your understanding.

Download

Our handy PDF guide will help you use the RTCCO model in everyday learning design activities.

Certificate

Share your achievement with a digital certificate - immediately available to download upon completion of the course.

Note:

  • The focus of this course is on prompting to generate text-based learning design outputs such as learning objectives, assessment plans, scenarios, and evaluation tools. It does not cover other AI-generated content types such as images, videos or narration, though some principles will be transferrable.
  • The principles and techniques covered can be applied across different generative AI tools, rather than training on a specific platform.

How you will be assessed

There is a quick 10-question quiz to complete at the end of the course. You need to score 8 or more out of 10 to pass and can take it as many times as you need to pass.

Certificate of completion

A downloadable certificate is generated as soon as you have passed the quiz.

Frequently asked questions

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for learning designers who want practical, immediately usable approaches to working with AI, without losing sight of pedagogy, ethics, or professional responsibility.

Instructional designers / Teachers / Lecturers / Learning technologists / Trainers / L&D practitioners / Other education professionals

Are there any prerequisites?

You do not need to have any formal qualifications to take this course. However, you will need to have good English language proficiency.

What digital skills and equipment will I need?

To get the best experience on the Lexedio platform, we recommend using a desktop or laptop computer with a reliable internet connection. Courses can also be accessed on a tablet or smartphone, though some interactive features may display better on larger screens.

Please use an up-to-date browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Firefox. Make sure your browser allows cookies, JavaScript, and pop-ups for the site to function correctly.

You should feel confident with basic digital skills, including navigating websites, using online forms, playing videos, downloading files, and managing your login details. The course explains how to go about developing more advanced digital skills needed to pursue digital specialisms.

Is software included?

No tools or software are included. You are free to choose your own generative AI tools e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity etc. 

How long will it take to complete?

This is a mini course, designed to be completed in bite-sized chunks or in one short sitting. Typically, learners tend to complete the main course content within 1 hour. However, practice time and use of the further reading and useful links provided could extend overall learning time to 2+ hours. The course is self-paced, so you can take your time - up to 2 months.

Is the course suitable for learners outside the UK?

The course is designed with UK learners in mind, but most of the topics and content are relevant to learning design practices in any part of the world.